Cleaner for wigs

ABSTRACT

A dry cleaner, and an aqueous wig cleaning solution formed by adding the cleaner to water, characterized by critical concentrations; sufficient to effect detergentless cleaning and less than that adversely affecting the hairlike fiber and backing materials of the wig; of sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium hexametaphosphate. No other ingredients are necessary to effect a surprisingly good cleaning solution that is also remarkably and surprisingly effective in restoring and maintaining excellent quality and body in the wig materials.

1 United States Patent [151 3,65, Hughes [4:] ar. 19W

[54] CLEANER FOR WIGS 2,964,467 12/1960 Lambert et al ..2s2/137 x [72]Inventor: Agnes M. Hughes, 825 Michelle Drive, ggfi at a] 761042,033,913 3/1936 Fiske et a1... ....23/l06 [22] Filed: Aug. 5, 19701,682,230 8/1928 McDaneld ..8/l27.5l [2]] Appl' 61176 PrimaryExaminer-Leon D. Rosdol Assistant Examiner-Dennis L. Albrecht [52] 0.8.CI ..252/135, 8/ 127.51, 252/175, AI rn yW0ff0rd and Felsman 252/D1G.13, 424/70, 424/71 1 [51] lnt.Cl. ..Clld 7/12,Clld 7/16, D061 1/12 [57]ABSTRACT [58] Field olSearch ..252/l35,l37,l38, 156,175, A d

ry cleaner, and an aqueous wig cleamng solution formed 252/89 8/l27's1424/70 7] by adding the cleaner to water, characterized by criticalconcentrations; sufficient to effect detergentless cleaning and less[56] Re'erences cited than that adversely affecting the hairlike fiberand backing UNITED STATES PATENTS materials of the wig; of sodiumchloride, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium hexametaphpsphate. No otheringredients are 3,350,3 t t t necessaxy to efiect a surprisinglycleaning soluti n that i 3313-030 10/1965 also remarkably andsurprisingly effective in restoring and 3,108,080 10/1963 maintainingexcellent quality and body in the wig materials. 3,085,067 4/1963Anderson. 2,956,026 10/1960 Lew ..252/l37 X 9 Claims, 1 Drawing FigureSODIUM CHLORIDE D HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE BICARBONATE PATENTnm28|9r2 3,652,422

SODIUM CHLORIDE D HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE BlCARBONATE INVENTOR AGNES M. HUGHESh CLEANER FOR WIGS fiber, may be washed therein. A particular advantageof the wig cleaning solution of this invention is that the wigs do not 7BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ordinarily require rinsing after they havebeen washed therein. 1. Field of the Invention: l have found thatsurprisingly clean wigs are efiected and the This invention relates tocleaners, including cleaning solu- 5 i ki 0f the g has a remarkableSheen, brilliance and tions; and, more particularly, to detergentlesscleaners for l bodfionowing the use of the cleaning solution of thisinvencleaning hairlike fiber and other constituents of wigs. 6 tion, incontrast to Other a aila l Cl aning Solutions employ- 2. Description ofthe Prior Art: ing detergents or hydrocarbon constituents. The wig maythen The rior art is replete with diver e leaner and leaning be set inconventional fashion. The hairlike fiber is more solutions. There areincreasing needs for specialty cleaners manageable and easier to workwith following cleaning with and cleaning solutions. For example, wigswith their hairlike i the cleaner of this invention than with othercleaners availafiber have become increasingly popular and most of theclean- 1 ble. ing solutions employed heretofore have proven to have ad-In e e pi g the Cleaner, 3 Wide variety of Conditioning verse effectsthat made them unsuitable for the wigs. For ex- I agents and detergentswere employed. For reasons of cost and am le, the detergents were soharsh that they dried the hair ready availability the sodium cation isthe preferred alkali too severely for long life. To remove the naturaloils that transferred from the wearers hair to the wig, non-aqueous wigE metal cation employed. It is recognized that chemically, other alkalimetal cations such as potassium are equally efficacious. cleaningsolutions were adverted to and proved satisfactory in For much the samereason the chloride anion is the preferred cleaning the oils and thelike from the wigs. These non-aque- I halide anion. Similarly, it isrecognized that chemically, other ous wig cleaning solutions, however,adversely affected the y halide anions such as bromides and iodides maybe satisfactobacking materials of which the wigs were made, particularly1 ry. The alkali metal halide chosen should not form insoluble where thebacking materials contained rubber-like materials. 1 Even thesophisticated and expensive aqueous detergentconprecipitates with theconstituents of the water, however. The

alkali metal borax and phosphate water conditioning agents tainingsolutions and the nonaqueous, hydrocarbon-contain- 1 such as sodiumborax and the sodium phosphates may be eming solutions have notsatisfied the demand for a cleaner and a a l ployed in forming aminimally satisfactory wig cleaning solucleaning solution that wouldclean the oils from the wig and its tion. The sodium hexametaphosphatehas proven so surprismaterials, would maintain and restore body and luter to th 3 ingly superior in conditioning the hair that l have turnedto it hairlike fiber of the wig, and that would not adversely effect inpreference to the others. The glassy form is readily and the materialsof the wig. The term hairlike fiber" is employed 3Q economicallyavailable under the trade name Calgon. Table 1 herein to include humanhair, since wigs frequently include I summarizes the concentrations thatI have delineated thus far humane hair. ,7 H V V U i as satisfactory.The concentrations are expressed in terms of BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS the actual amounts of individual compounds that l was emlploylng, and 1n terms of the percent byweight 1n the cleaning The FIGUREis a three-component diagram illustrating the i solution (wt. percent).They are divided into the minimum, concentrations of the componentswhich have been found optimum, and maximum concentrations found to besatisfaccritical, and optimum, in one embodiment of this invention.tory.

TABLE I Minimum Optimum Maximum Description concentration concentrationconcentration Sodium chloride teaspoon 2 teaspoons 8 teaspoons.

- 0.016 wt. percent 0.14 wt. percent.-." 0.55 wt. percent. Sodiumbicarbonate tb 2 tbs cup. 1.65 wt. percent. 2 cups.

6.4 wt. percent.

is 0.10 wt. percent 1.04 wt. percen Tbs-tablespoon.

SUMMARY OF THE'lNVENIIQlfl q E an aqueous wig cleaning solutionemploying the same that will obviate the disadvantages of the prior artcleaning solutionsl and will clean the hair oils from the wig and itscomponents, will maintain and restore body and luster to the hairlikefiber Sodium chloride was found to be necessary in a small con- 1centration sufficient to enhance the cleaning and conditioning 0 of thehairlike fiber of the wig, if a detergent was to be omitted. Sodiumchloride must be present in a concentration I less than that causingstripping of the hair, or causing the hair to loose its original color.The concentration of at least about 0.016 wt. percent of sodium chloridehas been found necessaof the and will not adversely affect thecomponents of the ry to obtain a satisfactory cleaning solution thatwill clean the wig.

in accordance with this invention there is provided a dry! cleaner in aform for dissolution in water to form an aqueous wig cleaning solution,and an aqueous wig cleaning solution employing same, consistingessentially of an alkali metal halide such as sodium chloride in aconcentration sufficient to enhance the cleaning and conditioning of thehairlike fiber of y the wig and less than that causing stripping of thehair; an al- I kali metal bicarbonate such as sodium bicarbonate in aconcentration sufficient to enhance the cleaning and conditioning E ofthe hairlike fiber of the wig and less than that causing drying 1 sosevere that the hairlike fiber loses its softness and luster; and analkali metal water conditioning agent such as glassy sodiumhexametaphosphate in a concentration sufficient to efl fect a cleaningand conditioning solution and less than that causing embrittlement anddrying of the hairlike fiber and deleterious reaction with the backingmaterial of the wig.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBOoiMENTS oil from the hairlike fiberof the wig. The best concentration "effected was about 0.14 wt. percent.Concentrations above about 0.55 wt. percent was found to cause strippingof hair for some unknown reason.

Similarly, the sodium bicarbonate has been found to be necessary in aconcentration sufficient to enhance the cleaning and conditioning of thehairlike fiber of the wig by the cleaning solution. Too great aconcentration of the sodium ibicarbonate, however, causes drying of thehairlike fiber so i severe that the hairlike fiber loses its softnessand luster, and becomes so unmanageable that obtaining a good set isdifficult i and impractical. At least 0.l0 wt. percent sodiumbicarbonate must be employed to effect the satisfactory cleaningsolution.

0 The best cleaning solution is effected when about 0.41 wt. percentsodium bicarbonate is employed. At concentrations above about 1.65 wt.percent of sodium bicarbonate the hairlike fiber begins to lose itssoftness and luster.

The glassy sodium hexametaphosphate must be present in a In practicingthe invention, an aqueous wig cleaning soluconcentration of at leastabout 1.64 wt. percent to obtain the tion may be prepared directly byincorporating and dissolving desired conditioning and cleansing action.The best cleansing the individual compounds directly into water. Afterthe wig cleaning solution has been formed, the wig, with using-likesolution is effected when an optimum concentration of about 3.28 wt.percent oithe gla ssysodium hexametaphosphate is EXAMPLE I In a specificexample, 1 have tried various concentrations of the respective compoundsin 4 gallons of water. Numerous washings, with wigs and with my ownhair, have indicated the concentrations set forth in the Table l are thecritical concentrations as far as l have been able to delineate. As canbe seen from Table l, the indicated quantities of the respectivecompounds were added to 4 gallons of water to form the aqueous wigcleaning solution.

The wig cleaning solution described hereinbefore forms a particularlypreferred embodiment of the invention, since the wig may be cleaned inthis wig cleaning solution directly without any additional work inpreparing the solution. The cleaner may be marketed in other forms,however, in order to save the shipping costs of the relatively largequantities of water. For example, aqueous syrups, or concentratedsolutions, may be marketed in which a predetermined quantity, such as acap full, of the syrup would be added to a predetermined quantity ofwater to form the wig cleaning solution. A dry cleaner consistingessentially of an admixture of the critical concentrations of the threeingredients may be marketed. The dry cleaner would be in a form such aspowder, containing granules and crystals, or briquettes, for adding apredetermined amount of the cleaner to a predetermined quantity of waterto form the syrup or the wig cleaning solution described hereinbefore.Any standard form of combining the dry ingredients into briquettes maybe employed, such briquetting procedures are well known and need not bedescribed in detail herein. The FIGURE illustrates, via athree-component diagram, the critical concentrations which have beendelineated. Expressed otherwise, the concentrations of the ingredientsin the dry admixture are illustrated in the Figure wherein therespective axes represent concentrations of -100 percent sodiumchloride, 0-100 percent sodium bicarbonate, and O-lOO percent glassysodium hexametaphosphate. Table II summarizes in tabular form the dataincluded in the Figure.

TABLE I1 Concentration in Percent by Weight Table II summarizes theminimum and maximum concentrations based on the worst possiblecombination in which the lowest concentration of a given constituentwould be included with the highest concentration of the other twoconstituents; and conversely, wherein the greatest concentration of agiven constituent would be included with the lowest concentration of theother two. 1 have found, however, that the following practical range ofconcentrations of the respective constituents produce a wig cleaningsolution that is much better, particularly where human hair is cleaned,and that these intermediate ranges of concentration represent the limitsthat are practical in a marketable cleaner. These practical limits aresummarized in Table 111.

TABLE Ill Concentration in Percent by Weight Minimum Optimum MaximumDescription Practical Practical Sodium chloride 0.5 3.6 12.0 sodium bibicarbonate 3.0 10.8 32.0 Glassy sodium hexametaphos phate 56.0 85.697.5

As can be seen in the Figure, the parallelogram within the regiondefined by A, B, C, and D is the maximum limits for the criticalconcentrations that will be employed. For practical purposes, the limitsare defined by the parallelogram E, F, G, and H, the optimumconcentration being defined by the point 1 am aware that theconstituents individually have been employed heretofore in conjunctionwith detergents for cleaning purposes. 1 am also aware that theindividual constituents are so commonplace that there is a danger ofequating simplicity with obviousness. I do not know of any cleaningsolution employed heretofore, however, that embodies the enumeratedconstituents in the critical concentrations that will effect thecleaning, yet prevent the adverse effects, as delineated hereinbefore.While economically advantageous compounds have been specificallydelineated herein, their chemical equivalents, as noted hereinbefore,are within the purview of this invention. It will be apparent that smallconcentrations of other additives may be employed as long as the otheradditives do not deleteriously effect the components of the wig oradversely affect the cleaning and conditioning properties of the wigcleaner or the wig cleaning solution. Because the respective compoundsare so commonplace, l have employed claim language which requires thatat least the three elements be employed in these critical concentrationsfor the purpose of cleaning wigs or wig constituents such as human hair.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning composition to enhance the cleaning and conditioning ofthe hairlike fiber of wigs, said composition consisting essentially ofan aqueous solution containing:

a. an alkali metal halide in a concentration within the range of0.0 l 6to 0.55 percent by weight, inclusive;

b. an alkali metal bicarbonate in a concentration within the range of0.l 0 to 1.65 percent by weight, inclusive; and

c. an alkali metal hexametaphosphate in a concentration within the rangeof 1.64 to 6.4 percent by weight, inclusive.

2. The wig cleaning solution of claim 1 wherein said alkali metal halideis sodium chloride, said alkali metal bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate,and said alkali metal water conditioning agent is sodiumhexametaphosphate.

3. The wig cleaning solution of claim 1 wherein said wig cleaningsolution contains about 0.14 percent by weight sodium chloride, about0.41 percent by weight sodium bicarbonate, and about 3.28 percent byweight of sodium hexametaphosphate.

4. A cleaner for forming a wig cleaning solution when added to water,consisting essentially of an admixture of:

a. an alkali metal halide in a proportion within the range of 0.2-23.8percent by weight, inclusive;

b. an alkali metal bicarbonate in a proportion within the range of1.4-50 percent by weight, inclusive; and

c. an alkali metal hexametaphosphate in a proportion within the range of27.2-98.4 percent by weight, inclusive; said dry cleaner being in a formthat will readily dissolve in water.

5. The cleaner of claim 4 wherein said alkali metal halide is sodiumchloride, said alkali metal bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate, and saidalkali metal hexametaphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

6. The cleaner of claim 5 wherein said sodium chloride is present in aconcentration within the range of 0.5-12 percent 7. The cleaner of claim6 wherein said admixture is in a powdered form containing granules andcrystals.

8. The cleaner of claim 6 wherein said admixture is in the form ofbriquettes.

9. The cleaner of claim 6 wherein said cleaner contains an optimumconcentration in percent by weight of about 3.6 per- 5 cent sodiumchloride, about 10.8 percent sodium bicarbonate,

and about 85.6 percent of sodium hexametaphosphate.

l l 4 t

2. The wig cleaning solution of claim 1 wherein said alkali metal halideis sodium chloride, said alkali metal bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate,and said alkali metal water conditioning agent is sodiumhexametaphosphate.
 3. The wig cleaning solution of claim 1 wherein saidwig cleaning solution contains about 0.14 percent by weight sodiumchloride, about 0.41 percent by weight sodium bicarbonate, and about3.28 percent by weight of sodium hexametaphosphate.
 4. A cleaner forforming a wig cleaning solution when added to water, consistingessentially of an admixture of: a. an alkali metal halide in aproportion within the range of 0.2-23.8 percent by weight, inclusive; b.an alkali metal bicarbonate in a proportion within the range of 1.4-50percent by weight, inclusive; and c. an alkali metal hexametaphosphatein a proportion within the range of 27.2-98.4 percent be weight,inclusive; said dry cleaner being in a form that will readily dissolvein water.
 5. The cleaner of claim 4 wherein said alkali metal halide issodium chloride, said alkali metal bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate,and said alkali metal hexametaphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate. 6.The cleaner of claim 5 wherein said sodium chloride is present in aconcentration within the range of 0.5 - 12 percent by weight, inclusive;said sodium bicarbonate is present in a concentration within the rangeof 3- 32 percent by weight, inclusive; and said sodium hexametaphosphateis present in a concentration within the range of 56 - 97.5 percent byweight, inclusive.
 7. The cleaner of claim 6 wherein said admixture isin a powdered form containing granules and crystals.
 8. The cleaner ofclaim 6 wherein said admixture is in the form of briquettes.
 9. Thecleaner of claim 6 wherein said cleaner contains an optimumconcentration in percent by weight of about 3.6 percent sodium chloride,about 10.8 percent sodium bicarbonate, and about 85.6 percent of sodiumhexametaphosphate.